Yahoo! Sports - Top News

Billboard News - Daily

Sunday, March 27, 2011

UConn won the NCAA West Regionals for the 4th time and head to their fourth Final 4 as they beat Arizona 65-63 in Anaheim on Saturday. I was in attendance and it was an intense, hotly contested game from beginning to end. The Honda Center was overwhelmingly full of Arizona fans, but the few thousand UConn fans there made sure to make their presence felt. Kemba Walker once again outshone all others, with a good deal of help from quickly rising freshman Jeremy Lamb. UConn will continue it's amazing run, which began with 5 victories in 5 days to win the Big East tournament, as they head to Houston to meet the winner of Kentucky/North Carolina. Jim Calhoun and his Huskies are on the verge of their 3rd NCAA Championship, all the more impressive when you consider the four Final 4's and 2 Championships have all been in the last 12 years.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

The UConn Huskies behind the electrifying Kemba Walker, outlasted Syracuse in OT Friday night in a packed Madison Square Garden 76-71. With the victory, UConn continues their improbable tournament run Saturday night against Louisville in the Big East Tournament Championship game. Walker's stat line... 33 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals. If you watched the game, he was clearly the best player on the court, as he is the best player in the Big East and all of college basketball. With all due respect to Ben Hansbrough of Notre Dame who won the league's Player of the Year, but he is not in the same class as Kemba Walker. And as great a player as Jimmer Fredette of BYU is, he is not close to being the all around player that Walker is. Fredette, whom many believe will win National Player of the Year honors, is a scorer, that's it. It would be hard to imagine him putting together a stat line like the one Walker put up on Friday. Not to mention that BYU plays in the MWC Conference, which is not in the same league as the Big East and the conversation ends there. Player of the Year debates are out of Walker's hands, all he can control is what happens on the court, and his Huskies are flexing their muscle. They entered the Big East tournament as a most likely #5 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tourney, now they are looking at a #4 seed and possible a #3 seed with a win tonight. Not to mention the fact that if thy win the Big East tournament, that will tie them with Georgetown as most tournament championships all time at 7. Here's to a great game tonight in the basketball mecca of the world, New York City, under the lights in the Worlds Most Famous Arena, Madison Sqauare Garden. We'll witness two of the great coaches in college basketball facing off, Jim Calhoun against Rick Pitino for the most prestigious conference tournament championship and the transcedent Kemba Walker playing in his home city in front of a packed house sure to add to his growing legend.